Green projects take the day at the Dubai+Acumen competition

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“People believe that innovation thrives in every other part of
the world… but it also exists here, and we want to be a platform to
support it.” With these few words, Natasha D’Souza outlined the
mission of the Dubai chapter of the global Acumen initiative, a non-profit
global venture that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the
problems of poverty, that gives anybody the chance to start a chapter,
wherever they are in the world.

Hoping to help nurture the seeds of ideas that many
entrepreneurs in the region have planted, Dubai+Acumen organized
ASE
2013 (the Acumen for Social Enterprise Business Plan
Competition), to offer financial support and mentorship to social
enterprises in the UAE. The 2013 competition offered a grand prize,
sponsored by event partner V7 Capital – worth 100,000 AED (just
over $27,000 USD) – as well as a 50,000 AED (around $13,600 USD)
prize for sustainability, sponsored by Dow Chemical, another event
partner.

Dubai+Acumen is
a volunteer-based initiative, whereby people gather in coffee
shops, co-working spaces, or even in their homes to discuss their
ideas. In a Dubai coffee shop, I met three of the five chapter
leaders: Natasha D’Souza, Leigh-Ann Lanier, and Christine Azavedo.
They talked about their goals to bring about positive change
through investment in the social enterprise ecosystem.

The chapter leaders organized ASE’s second edition in
October 2013, this time with a new look. D’Souza explained to me
that “we wanted to change the structure of the competition by giving, in addition to the
prizes, mentorship to the finalists and follow-up to the winners in
their future adventure… However, the main idea of the competition
was the same. Every individual or group who has a social idea or
project, regardless of their stage of progress, participates in the
mandatory workshops series that helps them develop their project
and set a business plan. In the next stage, all who completed the
workshops pitch their project to a panel of
judges.”

The
level of interest in the first workshops surprised the
Acumen+Dubai chapter leaders: there were around 80 people from
different backgrounds, ages, and industries. Of these, only ten
finalists were selected for the Grand Finale.

According to Lanier, the judging panel chose the two winners
based on the fact they presented “an idea [that’s] needed by the
market, sustainable, and financially viable.” The Grand Prize
winner was Green Truck, a startup co-founded by Diya Khalil and
Timothy Paul which aims to provide direct recycling transportation
services for neighborhoods in Dubai. Azavedo added that “Green
Truck is conducting meetings with V7 Capital [about a possible
incubation], and will soon launch a pilot project.” Green Shine, a
facility providing organic and water-free car washes started by
Elizabeth Kuruvilla, won the Dow Prize for Sustainability.

Other projects also drew the attention of the judges,
including Maska, a gift
wrapping service, whose founders will be mentored for six months by
a member of the judges’ panel, and the GYEM (Global Youth Empowerment
Movement) will be incubated by V7 Capital.

Despite the difficulties of getting funding in the region,
especially for social enterprises based on volunteers, Lanier
asserts that “Dubai+Acumen has had lots of support. Photographers
and graphic designer have volunteered their time and the DIFC
(Dubai International Financial Center) [donating the use of a]
venue.”

The volunteer aspect of Dubai+Acumen makes it a rare
organization, but not totally unique. The C3 accelerator also
offers pro bono mentorship and support to try and make a
difference in the world. But this Emirati organization is not a
competitor, Lanier insists. “We’re part of a global network.
Therefore, we complement each other because our mission is
similar.”

The three chapter leaders agreed there is a “growing appetite”
for social enterprises in the UAE. But success for Dubai+Acumen is
not yet at hand. Current regulations regarding how companies are
set up aren’t tailored to social entrepreneurship companies, and
Dubai+Acumen’s ability to attract investors, so as to achieve
sustainability and build a broader social network, is not very well
developed as of yet.